‘Sanju Samson show loading’ – Fans react with glee after KL Rahul confirms Samson’s inclusion vs South Africa for 1st ODI
KL Rahul also confirms Sai Sudarshan to make his India debut during the ODI series versus South Africa
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Dec 16, 2023 7:53 pm
Sanju Samson (Source-Twitter)
Team India is set to take on South Africa in the first ODI on Sunday with KL Rahul leading the side. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli aren’t part of the white ball format as the two veterans are taking a break. With the next ODI World Cup in South Africa team India is set for a new rebuilding course.
The last time India played an ODI series in South Africa was in early 2022. Temba Bavuma and his side had beaten the India team which was being led by KL Rahul by 3-0 margin. Deepak Chahar has pulled out of the series and has been replaced by Bengal seamer Akash Deep.
Young batter Sai Sudarshan has been drafted into the squad as a backup opener. Indian fans were curiously waiting for KL Rahul’s bytes ahead of the first game on Sunday. After the Indian skipper was done speaking, the cricket fans were left overjoyed.
KL Rahul confirms Sanju Samson’s inclusion for 1st ODI –
Indian skipper KL Rahul revealed that 29-year-old Sanju Samson is set to bat in the middle-order. It is expected that Sanju Samson will be batting either at number five or six and will be playing as a specialist fielder.
KL Rahul has confirmed that he will be donning the gloves during the three-match series which begins on Sunday in Johannesburg. It has also come to light that Rinku Singh is set to make his ODI Debut after his brilliant showing in T20I cricket.
The India cricket team will hope that Sanju Samson can make good use of this chance given to him. The 29-year-old was controversially ignored for the recent ODI World Cup 2023 tournament in India. Many fans and experts questioned the logic behind this as they slammed the Indian Cricket Board.
With the 2024 T20I World Cup around the corner, the team management is working towards squad rotation. Next year the Indian team will play just 6 ODI games a far cry from the amount of games played in 2023.
Aiden Markram and his South African side meanwhile will hope for a new dawn. The host nation are going into the series without few of their seasoned campaigners being rested. A win against the strong Indian team will give a huge boost to the South African side.
